Electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) utilize energy stored in a traction battery to provide electric-only driving range. A vehicle charging station is used to provide energy to the traction battery. The vehicle charging station provides an interface that couples energy to the traction battery of the vehicle. The interface may couple the energy conductively or inductively. The interface is generally a plug that is inserted into a compatible receptacle of the vehicle. The vehicle operator must typically perform a manual operation to insert the plug into the receptacle. The vehicle charging station may require that a number of operations be performed by the vehicle operator in order to initiate the charging process. An automated vehicle charging station can reduce the number of operations performed by the vehicle operator and simplify the charging process for the vehicle operator.